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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · press · face · coach · nail · mug · hand · shower

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. press — to push
  3. mug — a face
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mug — to rob
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. shower — to wash
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hand — in cards
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. face — part of the head
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — to confront
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. press — newspapers
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com